The health benefits of eating produce have created interest in developing safe, convenient, nutritious and affordable quality produce while, as best as possible, maintaining the natural state of the produce. Several processes are available to extend the shelf life of produce. Traditional techniques include drying, canning, and freezing. Still other known methods, for example, require blanching, infusion, drying, rehydration, draining, thawing, and preservation using salts or acids. Processing that comprises a large number of components can be cumbersome to monitor during processing. A need exists in the food industry for a straightforward process for producing vegetables with an extended shelf life while maintaining a fresh appearance and taste, preferably without the use of preservatives. Modified packaging techniques and processing techniques are also sometimes used to extend shelf life. However, produce processed using these techniques generally do not provide the flavor, color and texture of home cooked or fresh produce. Often, produce products processed by these and other know techniques appear over-engineered and include a multitude of preservatives and other ingredients.